Remembering God (vv. 6-8). David’s heart was at peace, and he was able to go to bed and calmly worship the Lord and meditate on Him (3:5-6; 42:8). The phrase “earnestly seek” in verse 1 can mean “early will I seek,” so we see David at both morning and evening. The phrase “remember God” means to recall what He has said and done in the past and apply it to our present situation (42:6; 77:1-11; 105:1-5; 119:55). It was because Israel forgot what God did that they rebelled and disobeyed Him (78:40-43; 106:6ff.). Our God is I AM, not “I was,” and He must always be recognized in our present situation. The Jews had three night watches, from sunset to ten o’clock, from ten to two o’clock, and from two to sunrise, so whenever David awakened during the night, he immediately remembered the Lord. (Or it could mean he was awake all night, but not tossing and turning.) His bed was under the wings of the cherubim, and he felt secure as he meditated on the Lord (16:7; 119:148; Deut. 6:4-9).

But David wasn’t passive in his devotion, for he continued to cling to the Lord and rest in the safety of His right hand (17:7; 18:35; 41:12). Faith without works is dead. Believers are safe in the hands of the Father and the Son (John 10:27-29), but that doesn’t give us license to do foolish things that would endanger us. “My soul cleaves after you” is a literal translation of verse 8, including both submissive faith in God and active pursuit of God. Jesus described this experience in John 14:21-27.